The Earthworks Guesthouse was a cozy and lovely place to stay. It's owned by a couple, Roberto and Rumi, who are both ceramic artists. It was originally an old silkworm farmhouse and they totally renovated it themselves. Every nook and cranny was well designed, clean, and roomy, and the kitchen was quite user-friendly. Rumi speaks English fluently and Roberto is a native speaker, so it seemed that more than half of their guests were English speakers. If you plan to visit Bessho-Onsen, I strongly recommend this place.

Roberto and Rumi are friends of Motoshima-san, so they gave us a discount. To express our thanks, I wanted to purchase a few of their beautiful pieces from the gallery next to it, but sadly, the cost was out of my budget. The picture below shows how the gallery looks from the outside. Crape myrtle and lotus flowers were in bloom, and goldfish were swimming in the barrel.

Bessho-Onsen's slogan is "A little Kamakura in Shinshu (the old name of Nagano prefecture)". To be honest, if you enjoy visiting old temples or shrines, you should visit Kamakura or Nara. When it comes to the quality of the hot spring, I have to say I favor Shibu-Onsen. However, Bessho-Onsen has a special charm that makes you feel that the town's long history is truly connected to the people who live there. Additionally, there's a one-of-a-kind location that I was completely unaware of, and visiting it was an unforgettable experience. That emotion is something I'll never forget.

This weekend, I'll try to write about it and finish this series. It's called 風穴 fuketsu (Wind Cave).